Apparently humans’ attention span has dropped lower than that of a goldfish. Research has shown that the average human’s attention span has dropped to eight seconds (it was 12 seconds in 2000), while a goldfish has a nine second attention span. Some feel there is a link to the rampant, excessive use of technology to this falling length of attention span. Another study that was published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that almost half of special needs children in preschool with ADHD were on medication for the disorder. Many schools are allowing technology to be used in the classroom, but this may just be adding to the problem.

Many parents are concerned with their children being diagnosed with conditions such as ADHD and are worried about the effects of the medication for such conditions. A study looked at the lifestyle of children diagnosed with ADHD and the lifestyle of children without the condition. The study found that “children with ADHD were more likely to consume artificially sweetened juice, less likely to read for more than one hour per day, more likely to have more than two hours of screen time per day, and more likely to engage in fewer hours of physical activity during the week. Parents of children with ADHD were also much more likely to report that their children have difficulty falling asleep, to report concern about their child’s sleep habits, and fear that sleep problems may be leading to behavior issues. These associations held even in those children not currently taking ADHD medication, which is known to cause sleep disturbance.”

The study results recommend children have no more than 2 hours of total screen time daily; get at least 1 hour of physical activity daily; limit the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages; get 9 to 11 hours of sleep per night; and consume 7 to 10 cups of water daily.